This month’s catch up…
Bestival acquired from administration
by creditor
Bestival has been acquired
by creditor The Richmond
Group (TRG), after falling into
administration just days before.
The festival’s future was
uncertain when TRG reportedly
called in a £1.6m loan, forcing the
Bestival Group into the care of
administrators Begbies Traynor.
But TRG subsequently won a
bidding war to take ownership of
the festival, which received several
offers.
The Richmond Group is owned
by British billionaire James
Benamore, who told The Guardian:
“We have been fans and supporters
of Bestival since the beginning.
Our children have grown up with
06
wonderful memories of these
festivals.
“We are keen to ensure that
this fantastic institution goes
on to delight families and local
businesses for many years to
come.”
This year’s Bestival took place
from 2-5 August 2018 at the
Lulworth Estate in Dorset. It was
headlined by London Grammar,
Grace Jones and Jorja Smith,
among others. The festival is
now in its 15th year, having been
founded in 2004 by Radio One DJ
Robert Gorham aka Rob Da Bank.
Access reached out to The
Richmond Group for comment, but
received no response.
Blinded by the hype
Peaky Blinders festival in Birmingham and Comedy
Central Live! in Southampton have both faced recent
scrutiny from fans, demanding refunds and claiming
they were mis-sold.
Comedy Central Live! was a comedy festival
featuring high profile acts such as Jimmy Carr and
Russell Howard, which took place from 5-7 October. It
sold tickets for £20, but many fans attending did not
realize they also needed to queue for additional free
tickets to gain access to each individual show.
These took place in tents which were described
as ‘small’ and quickly sold out, leaving many fans
stranded in Hoglands Park without being able to see
any acts.
Peaky Blinders festival took place in Birmingham
on 30 September, billing itself as offering
‘underground bootleg bars and over 100 actors and
musicians in flapper dresses and iconic caps’, as well
as vintage fairground rides and street food.
But attendee Adam Baggs told Access: “About a
quarter of the 100 ‘actors’ in traditional dress were
actually there, which meant the entertainment was
fairly non-existent and turned the whole immersive
experience into little more than a themed bar with
huge queues.”
Within hours of the event ending on Sunday night,
the organisers applied to Companies House for the
business to be struck off and dissolved. Days later,
however, they retracted this application and said they
would “address the complaints”.
Both events raise questions about the ethics of
marketing a festival, and how to manage expectation
vs reality.